Warriors
by Deandra
Summary: Gamling confesses a hidden concern. ONE-SHOT. Part 186 of the Elfwine Chronicles.


_**Part 186 of the Elfwine Chronicles. The Elfwine Chronicles are a series of one-shots built around the family group of Eomer, Lothiriel and Elfwine. The total number will depend on how many ideas I get for new vignettes.**_

**Warriors**

**(July, 2 IV)**

"Eadnes, is Gamling here?" Eomer asked without preamble, when she answered his knock at the door of her cottage.

"No, my lord," she replied, wiping her hands on her apron as she raised a questioning eyebrow. Her husband had been given the day off from working and so she was surprised to have the king come seeking him. "I believe he is down at the practice fields just now."

Eomer nodded. "My thanks. I will look for him there." He gave her a smile of reassurance that there was no cause for alarm, and then turned away. In fact, there was nothing pressing, but Eomer had come to depend so much on his doorward and friend being ever-present, that he felt at loose ends when the man was absent.

But, further than that, it had been unexpected when Gamling had requested a day of rest. In all the years he had known him, his doorward had always been steadfast and dependable. If he had ever taken a day to himself, by his own choosing, while serving Theoden, Eomer was not aware of it. Why then had he suddenly asked for such now? Ever since the missive had come from Aragorn, requesting Eomer's aid, the king had sensed something not quite right with Gamling. Perhaps he would not speak of it; perhaps he did not even recognize a problem himself to admit to. Either way, Eomer would at least make an attempt at resolving the matter. It was the very least he owed such a devoted friend and comrade.

Even without such a motive, Eomer was glad of the prospect of stretching his legs.. He did not think Gamling would object to seeing him and, as it was almost mid-afternoon, possibly his friend would consider a tankard of ale in the company of an old friend! Surely after a workout he would be thirsty!

The king made his way through the streets of Edoras, acknowledging waves and greetings that were called out to him, but not stopping for conversation. He realized he was eager to reach the practice field. Perhaps there would be time for him to get in some sparring of his own. He had not been able to practice much the past ten days, and with the prospect of riding to Gondor looming he wanted to refresh his skills.

He heard the sound of clashing swords before he ever spied the field itself. The blunted wooden practice swords were less likely than a true blade to inflict serious wounds, but in the hands of a skilled warrior they could still prove quite dangerous. Caution was always best.

Men were gathered along the fence line, watching the various bouts underway, and making occasional comments on form and tactics. Eomer paused to let his eyes roam over the combatants until he glimpsed Gamling on the farthest side of the arena. He and a young Rider, whose name Eomer could not recall, were well into their sparring session. To Eomer's trained eye, the Rider was overmatched, but Gamling knew how to prolong the bout so as to both give himself practice while helping train the less skilled man.

More greetings were called out to him as Eomer worked his way around to that side of the arena to await the outcome. Almost as he reached his destination, Gamling scored on the Rider, making himself victor. With an approving smile, Gamling clasped the other man's sweaty arm with his hand, offering words of encouragement that Eomer could barely hear. Only as he turned away to fetch a drink from the water barrel did he notice Eomer and raise an eyebrow in surprise. "My lord! I did not expect to see you here. Have you need of me?"

Eomer raised a hand to stay his concern. "Be at peace. It is nothing of consequence. I merely had a question and chose not to wait until I saw you tomorrow. But, slake your thirst! That was a good match. You have not lost your skill, I see!"

Gamling shrugged and did as he was bid, scooping out water and eagerly drinking it down. A slight trickle missed his mouth and ran down his throat onto his chest, but he paid it no mind. When he had drunk enough, he turned back to Eomer and gestured toward a nearby bench that was unoccupied.

Sprawling beside the king, Gamling swiped at the sweat on his face with the sleeve of his shirt, waiting for Eomer to explain. Instead of broaching the subject which he had come to ask about, Eomer stared at the practice rings where other men had taken their places and begun sparring. "I am pleased that you keep up your skills. It is not so essential as it was in those dark years of Saruman and the Worm, but still we have need to defend ourselves," he observed thoughtfully.

"Not so much me," Gamling replied quietly, pausing in his task. "These days, I remain safely in the King's Hall while others ride to battle at need."

Eomer turned to look at him in surprise. "Safe? Is that how you perceive it?" Was this, then, what he had sensed troubling his friend?

Gamling met his gaze. "I have often ridden to battle, either for my king or alongside him. But now I have no call to fight, other than to remove disturbers from the Hall on occasion, and even that I do not have to do with my own hand. It would seem my days as a warrior are ended." He had thought about this before. In some ways, he felt almost useless when Gondor would call for aid and the king would gather men to ride out. Always, now, Gamling was left behind. It was not so much that he enjoyed warfare, and was eager to risk himself in battle, but it felt…weak, to be one of the few who did not ride to the defense of peace.

The King leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, clasping his hands in front of him. While Eomer considered his doorward's words for several moments, Gamling looked away.

Certainly Eomer could appreciate what the man must be feeling. He would feel the same if it were him, but Gamling's role was so much more than just as a peaceable steward in the king's service. Partly he had chosen Gamling because of his long service to Theoden, and his experience in the King's Court, but there had been other reasons as well. They had been friends since shortly after Eomer had come to live at Edoras, and Eomer had complete trust in him, so that had played into the decision, but that alone had not tipped the scale either. Eomer knew Gamling's skill in battle and felt secure with such a man fighting alongside him. That being the case, it was understandable that some might wonder at his relegating a powerful warrior to such a position where use of a weapon was not common.

"You are mistaken." Eomer's firm declaration drew Gamling's attention back to the king, and he looked at his longtime friend questioningly. "You are yet a warrior even though you do not ride to war now. Your role has altered, it is true, but in some ways you have one of the most important charges in all of the Mark. When I ride to battle, leaving you at Meduseld, I do not leave you here in idleness. You remain to aid and assist the queen in ruling our land in my absence. But, more importantly, you remain as the final line of defense for my family. There are the guards for Edoras, and the guards of Meduseld itself, but if anything gets past them, I am depending on you to protect my dearest loved ones, or give your life in the attempt. If I do not return, it falls to you to guide and help Lothiriel in ruling until Elfwine is old enough. And it falls to you to protect and care for them as I would. There are few men I would trust so implicitly to stand in my stead."

He sat up straighter and laid a hand on Gamling's shoulder. "You are far from 'safe', my friend. If anything, you face the greatest danger, after me and my family, for it is you that controls the throne of the Riddermark if all others are lost."

Gamling's brow had knit at Eomer's words, but then slowly the tension eased from him. He had not previously considered his situation in that particular light. Perhaps he had indeed held himself in too low esteem. With a nod of acceptance to Eomer for this charge, he silently vowed ever to be worthy of the king's trust in him – and to make sure he practiced with his sword on a more regular basis, just in case it was ever needed.

Rising, Eomer asked, "Are you rested? Will you give your king a bit of exercise before he stops bothering you on your day of leisure?"

Gamling stood also and laughed. "I thought you had business with me. Is that not why you are here?"

Eomer shrugged. "I seem to have forgotten what was so important. And, at the moment, I am more interested in a little sport. The victor buys the ale."

"He had better! I have no doubt I will lose – when have I ever bested you? Still, the prospect of free ale is sufficient inducement for me to accept your challenge. Find a sword, my liege. You have a match!"

THE END

10/2/09

A/N: Quite some time ago, probably after I had written "Lost and Found", someone remarked at how confined Gamling must feel serving such an inactive role as Eomer's doorward (essentially his steward, in my universe). That thought has remained in my mind all this time, though I had no inspirations of what to do with it until now. Hence, this story, to see what he might be thinking and feeling, and why – and what Eomer's response would be. Elfwine would be about 15 months old here.

_**End note: **__** It is best that you read the Elfwine Chronicles in the order they were written.**__** The more of them that I wrote, the more likely I was to make reference to one of the previous ones and something that happened there. If you want to read them in order, go to the top of this page and click on my name (Deandra). That will take you to my profile page. Scroll down and you will find all the stories I have written. The Elfwine Chronicles are in order from bottom to top since ffn shows them in the order they were posted. A few were posted out of number order, but you can read them in posting order or number order since those few won't be affected in the story content.**_


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